Dollar Spot, My Hero

Since it seems everyone else is blogging about their uh-may-zing deals from the Target Dollar Spot, I figure I should share as well. As with anything you see on this blog, I am not a photographer, I do not claim to be a photographer, and I think it's pretty darn cool that I can even put pictures on the internet. So don't judge.

plenty-o-stickers

There are 5 sheets of stickers in each package with 270 stickers total for the round letters, 215 for the rainbow letters, and 560 for the stars! That is a lot of stars. They're also all glittery in case you can't tell from the photo. I'm going to borrow a great idea from Ms. Van Orman and use the round alphabet stickers on bottle caps for a different, fun manipulative in my ABC center.

In the package, so you know what to look for!

I also got these counting puzzles that have two sets of matching cards. Each set covers numbers 1 through 10 and what I love about these is that there is a set matching the numerals to pictures, but also a set to match the numerals to dots. I've recently learned a lot about subitizing, which is the ability to recognize a quantity without counting. Counting dots is a great way to teach subitizing because they are a static representation that look the same every time. When children are asked to count different pictures, they sometimes focus on the attributes of the objects and that can get in the way of their counting. When they are counting dots, they learn to recognize the number of dots without counting and can then apply this skill to objects and pictures. I'm excited to find sturdy puzzles for $1 that teach this important skill!

Now these cards are just awesome. They're photographs of animal families. I love finding quality photographs to use in my classroom because I believe they are much better for making connections and learning new concepts. Here's an example of some of the animal families:

mammals

birds

There are several other sets of animal families. Each set has 8 examples, which is a good number for exploring the similarities and differences found within each type of animal. I am so in love with these cards! Plus they could easily be used for any activity where pictures of animals are required.

This is another great product I found in the Dollar Spot. It's a mat with letter spinners! It's also made of a dry-erase laminate so it's already super sturdy. The intended use is to spin, name the letter you land on, then write the letter in the space below.  I plan on cutting each spinner out so I can use them for lots of different activities. In case you're interested, here's the other side of the mat:

I don't use a lot of activities like this in my class because I have many others I think are more meaningful and engaging to practice writing letters (like the spinners on the other side), so it's not a big loss for me to lose this side after I cut up the other side. If you wanted to do both, though, you could easily just buy two (or more!). This side is also dry-erase so it's an easy activity to put in a center.


There are PLENTY more things I've bought and am making to share, so I will leave with this for now. I wouldn't want to give away all my tricks in one post!

How Pinteresting

I'm going to get serious about this blog this year. I think starting earlier in the summer, way before school begins, will help me accomplish this goal.

Just last week I heard about a new technology trend (just like oh, every week of the year) called Pinterest. I enjoy technology but usually I wait it out to see if it's really THAT COOL. Let me tell you- Pinterest really is THAT. COOL. Pinterest is a social bookmarking site, similar to Delicious. You can choose activities, products, ideas, inspirational pictures, anything you'd like to bookmark.

Look at it- even the font is enticing! Instead of organizing your bookmarks as text which you can search through, Pinterest stores them as pictures. When you find something worthy of bookmarking, simply click on the icon you've installed in your bookmarking toolbar (don't worry, they show you how and it's simple), choose the photograph you'd like from the site, and choose a category. You decide the categories, you decide the captions, and you decide which bookmarks go where. The end result is like a giant cork board to which you've "pinned" items of interest.

This is my page. You'll notice there are some categories that look fuller than others- that's because I just started this morning. Each larger square is a different category that I created and named to suit my needs. Inside are the items I've pinned. To see a category, I simply click on the larger square and I'm taken to a new page with access to all the pictures I've pinned. From there I can click on any picture and be taken to the website from which it originated.

Teachers who know all about Gardener's theory of multiple intelligences will see why this site is so appealing. It appeals to spatial learners who can't get enough of pictures, diagrams, and models. One could argue that anything on a computer screen is appealing to a visual learner, but this site takes it much further by showing all the pictures at once.

I myself love being able to bookmark sites on Delicious and refer to them easily through their tags, but Pinterest allows me to add an aesthetic value to my references. Do I need a visual when I'm searching for that great asparagus recipe I found last month? Not really. But if I'm looking at ways to organize my office supplies or ideas for a party, pictures are the way to go.

In conclusion, everyone needs to get on Pinterest! It is an incredibly fun way to organize your bookmarks, plus you can check out other people's boards for even more great ideas. The best part? They refer to as the "curator" of your page. Come on.